Baby in her own room
Many parents prefer to create a special little space for their children to sleep, and go to a lot of trouble to make the nursery cheerful and cosy for their baby. Most parents agree that it would be nice if their children could all sleep in their own rooms – preferably right through the night! Even through this is a relatively new ‘trend’ in human history, it is widely accepted in Western culture that each child has their own bed, if not their own room, and many parents see this as the ideal.
Pros:
- Parents may sleep more soundly, not hearing every noise baby makes.
- Parents have their bed to themselves, with more privacy.
- Parents’ movements do not disturb baby during sleep.
- You may desperately need some time to yourself and body space, especially if you have spent the whole day nurturing your children.
Cons:
- Parents may lie awake worrying if baby is OK.
- Someone has to get up if baby calls.
- Parents and baby may miss each other during the night. Parents can experience separation anxiety too!
Many families do a combination of these options. You might decide to have baby in your bed until she reaches a certain age, or you might prefer to have baby sleep the first half of the night in her own bed, and the rest of the night in the family bed. If the family bed is not working, try putting baby in her own bed. If she is not sleeping at all in her own bed, try the family bed! Don’t worry what others will say or think. You are the one who has to get some sleep, not them.
